And a Bottle of Rum for Inspiration, Too
by Solaced Whimsy
Summary: It's my first Pirates fic, so have mercy. This is set years before COTBP, so nobody but Jack, and sometimes Gibbs, are in it. It's about my OC, Helena, and her best friend, setting out with pirates to find Helena's brother in Singapore. So...read up!
1. Then I'm Going With You

Chapter 1 - Then I'm going with you.

"Evermore he slumbers, tossing not, nor turning, Endymion the-Father, are you asleep again?"

The significantly older man jerked to attention, and chuckled. Reading old Greek stories held less luster than they used to.

"It would seem, my dear, that I am not as young as I once was." He said, sitting up. The young woman who had been reading smiled almost sadly. It was true; her father was getting up in years. Someday, he would not be there any longer, and she could not bear the thought of that. Her father stood as the door opened, and an older woman entered, smiling.

"My dear husband, did you fall asleep during our daughter's story again?" She made a 'tsk' noise and shook her head. "Nathaniel, I don't understand why you ask her to read if you're only going to fall asleep. Isn't that right, He-" But their daughter had already set the book down and gone down the stairs to the front door. Taking a parasol in her hand and tucking a fan away in her coin purse, she called to her parents,

"Mother, father, I'm going out for a bit!" And before they could stop her, she was out the door.

Stepping out into the sunlight, she opened her parasol and made her way down towards the port city. She just wanted a bit of fresh air, and to go down into the Port. Of course, the port harbor was a completely different story. She would avoid it at all costs. There were all sorts of awful people there…Lecherous sailors, drunkards, and the occasional pirate. Oh no, that was no place for her, and she had no desire to be there anyways. Helena Craven was afraid of the sea and usually anyone associated with it.

As she strolled through the Port streets, she passed many different shops and workplaces, like the butcher's. The butcher's son, Richard, was a rather handsome young man, and she suddenly thought of him when she passed.

Helena herself wasn't hard on the eyes either. Standing at about five feet and six inches tall, she was one of the taller women in Port Royal. Her wavy blonde hair was usually curled and put up, but when down, it fell to nearly her waist. She had bright green eyes, and was rather pale, mostly from being kept in. Before her family had made passage to Port Royal, when she was sixteen, she was mostly kept inside. Now she was free to go outside, which was a privilege she exercised regularly. She was beginning to get a tan, but it was still a work in progress. She wasn't married now, even at twenty-one, but had had a few suitors. She'd turned them down due to lack of intellect, or lack of …well…what she wanted was someone different. Someone who wasn't just a run-of-the mill noble. But if it got any later in her life, she knew she would have to settle for someone, even if just to please her parents, or be taken care of. Marriage in this day and age was usually for money, or because of previous arrangements. Not usually for love. Love was a privilege for the few who experienced it, and could be wiped out. But she tended not to think about that, and thought about helping her parents. Even with the servants, her father wanted her to read to him, her mother to have her go into town with her…the just little things to ensure that she spent time with them. She didn't mind…what, with her brother having fallen out of their lives…

Her brother, Crispin Craven, had disappeared at sea five years ago, just after the crossing from England. Helena had locked herself in her room for days when that had happened; she'd always been close to Crispin, and him basically dying was nothing for her to take for granted. But when no word had been heard of him for at least a year, she truly began to despair. This was mainly her cause of caution towards the sea.

But today, as she roamed the streets, she wasn't exactly paying attention to where she was going, and bumped smack into someone, stumbling back, she dropped her parasol, and nearly fell, but the stranger caught her, and with a chuckle set her up right. It was then she realized that she was near the docks, and that this person, well, man, could be anyone, of any profession. She backed up away from him, picking up her parasol quickly, and finally looked up at him. To those who knew him, he was Captain Jack Sparrow. To Helena, he was a very odd-looking, dirty, and frightening man.

"Ought to watch where you're going, love. It's not very nice to bump into people like that." Her eyes widened as he spoke, and she could see his gold and silver tooth fillings. He surely must be a pirate, she realized, and began to back away as he looked at her oddly, when her friend, Susanna, came to her rescue.

"Helena! There you are, dear!" She called, holding her skirts and running up to her as fast as her dress would allow.

"Susanna!" Helena smiled gratefully, and the man turned on his heel and swaggered away. "Oh Susanna, thank goodness!" She whispered urgently, watching him walk off in a very odd manner.

"Why, Helena, whatever is the matter?" Susanna asked quietly, smiling at Helena and looking in the same direction she was. "Oh my, who's that?" She asked, giggling. "He certainly doesn't look like a suitor…" Helena looked appalled.

"He's certainly not a suitor of mine…" She replied, looking over at Susanna and back at him again. "Susanna…oh Susanna, I think he was a pirate!" nearly cried. Susanna looked thoughtful.

"Well…he looked rather handsome to me…" Helena again looked shocked.

"How can you say that! He was so oddly dressed…and so dirty….I could even see gold and silver teeth!"

"Well….he still didn't look all that bad…Besides, not all of us are scared of pirates…" Susanna giggled. Susanna was Helena's dearest friend, and stood nearly as tall as Helena, but had shorter, much darker brown hair. Her eyes were dark, too, but her complexion was nearly the same as Helena's. But much unlike Helena, Susanna was more vocal with her opinions, and much less cowardly. Susanna wasn't afraid of pirates and sailors. Susanna could walk near the docks and feel perfectly at ease. Susanna also felt much more at ease around men than Helena. Helena, however, liked being in company of Susanna, because she was a good friend, and very loyal.

The two walked around for quite a while that day, until it was nearly dusk. But at that time, Susanna took them by the docks, to see if Helena's fear might lift even slightly if she saw that it wasn't all that bad here. It wasn't exactly working so far, but Susanna was determined. Of course, she didn't expect what was about to happen, not at all.

"Oi, Rufus, you hear about that Craven guy? Heard the mate recently sailed to Singapore. What'chu expect he's lookin' for?" It was an older sailor speaking to a middle aged one he recognized as Rufus. Helena froze. Susanna's eyes widened. on…let's just go…" But Helena refused to move.

"Yeah…The name was…what…Crispin, right? Heard he ain't very old, neither." Helena looked faint. "Wha'd'you think he's thinking…sailing to Singapore on his own…" The older man nodded.

"Bit foolhardy if you ask me…" Helena suddenly took off running, Susanna on her tail.

"Helena! Helena, stop!" But Helena didn't stop until she was out of the Port, and on her way to her house. Finally, she stopped. "Helena! What on earth-" Helena just stared off at the sea.

"I need to find him, Susanna." She said, her gaze never faltering. Susanna looked confused.

"Helena, you don't even know that there were talking about him!" Helena looked over at her for a moment, and Susanna saw something that almost frightened her in Helena's eyes.

"I have to find out for myself." Susanna looked at her worriedly.

"What do you plan to do?" she asked quietly.

"Tomorrow, I'll sail on the first ship I can find to Singapore." Susanna's face hardened.

"You can't do this, Helena! It's madness!" But Helena shook her head.

"I have to, Susanna. If this is a chance that I might see my brother again, then I have to take it." Susanna fell quiet. If Helena was willing to travel overseas, then this must be very important to her.

"Then I'm going with you."

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Well, there's my first chapter. Yes, I know, not much action yet. But be patient...kay? I might even put a picture of Helena up on my deviantart account. If I do, I'll say something here tho...


	2. Crispin, or Helena?

That night, Helena crept into her brother's room, and stole some of his clothing. She put some extra clothing and important things in a satchel, and by the time dawn broke, she was at the docks, waiting for Susanna. Susanna, it turned out, had stolen some of her father's wardrobe, and was running to meet Helena just as the other girl arrived at the seaside. Susanna ran up to Helena, taking her hands, and looked her straight in the face.

"You're sure about this?" Helena nodded. "Then there is one more measure we must take." Susanna took a small knife from her belt, and held it up for Helena to see in the early morning light. Helena's eyes widened, and she grabbed her ponytail protectively.

"You can't mean…" Susanna nodded.

"But I do. We have to look the part if we're going to play-act as boys." She took down her own hair. "I'll go first." She took hold of her ponytail, and clenched her eye shut for a moment, then sliced it off. Helena looked shocked; Susanna looked like a short-haired boy.

"I-I don't know about this…" She whispered as Susanna readied to chop off her hair as well. "Make mine a little longer. It-It's still in fashion for boys to have a ponytail…" Susanna rolled her eyes.

"All right…" She lowered the knife a bit, and then began sawing at Helena's thick hair. Tears gathered in Helena's eyes as Susanna continued, but she said not a word. Finally, Susanna finished after what seemed like forever, and held up Helena's severed ponytail. Helena looked shocked.

"My…my hair…my…hair…" She nearly fainted. Susanna caught her, and shook her shoulders.

"Helena! Get a hold of yourself! If you keep acting like a girl, we'll definitely have a problem. You're already too pretty to be a boy…let's hope no one notices." Helena blushed.

"You're…you're right. Now, let's find a ship." They questioned many a sailor until finally they ran into an older man.

"Aye, we be sailin' to Singapore…Is it your wish to be joinin' us?" Helena nodded and lowered her voice.

"Aye, sir." She replied. Susanna nodded.

"I am Sam, and this is my friend-"

"Crispin." Helena cut in. The older man nodded.

"Joshamee Gibbs. Most just call me Gibbs. Are you prepared to leave now?" Susanna nodded.

"We are." Gibbs nodded, and led them down the docks to a small rowboat where a few other men were waiting. They began to row, and Helena, in her new, low, voice asked,

"Mr. Gibbs, if I may, what ship are we to be sailing on?" Gibbs turned and gave her a grin.

"The Selkie's Gaze." Susanna looked excited.

"And our captain?" Gibbs chuckled.

"The craziest and greatest pirate in all the world. Jack Sparrow." Helena again looked shocked. Susanna nodded in acknowledgement.

"It's an honor." Gibbs shook his head, grinning, as Susanna whispered to Helena:

"Everything's going to be fine. They don't know we're women. Just play along with everything." Helena nodded. All of this was for Crispin, and for her. She would do what it took to see her brother again, even if it meant sailing with pirates.

They arrived at the ship after a little while, and were greeted by the rest of the crew. But one voice carried over all the rest.

"Who're these to, Mister Gibbs?" Gibbs looked over as the rest of the crew backed up to allow through the same man that Helena had run into just the other day.

"My name is Sam Thomason," She motioned to Helena, " And this is my friend Crispin Craven." Helena nodded. Apparently this man was Captain Sparrow. Jack, however, was suspecting something about these two. Something about their faces….

"Well then. I am Captain of this ship, and we're setting sail. Let's get to work, mates!" He shouted, and then strode off to take the helm.

"Mister Gibbs, show these two new sailors the ropes!" Gibbs nodded, and took Helena and Susanna around the ship, showing them where they would sleep, and where everything was in case of a storm, or in case of battle. As the day progressed, the two masqueraders were shown how to do various tasks about the ship. At nightfall, they were perfectly ready to go to sleep. The two days to follow were exactly the same, until the third day, when there was a mighty storm. Helena was stricken with fear, and had hidden down in the hold until Susanna, soaking wet, came to get her, and calmed her down, leading her to the deck. Poor Helena was shaking the entire time, and stayed far away from the sides, mostly clinging to the mast. It was this day that Jack began to suspect something was different about two of his crewmembers.

After the storm had calmed, Helena and Susanna met down in the hold. Susanna sighed happily, falling back into her hammock.

"Don't you think Captain Sparrow is completely amazing?" Helena watched Susanna for a moment, and realized she was serious.

"I suppose he has his finer points…" She replied slowly. As a matter of fact, she had begun to think a bit better of Captain Sparrow, after seeing how well he'd treated them as a crew, and how he well taken care of the crew was. He was a dedicated captain, if nothing else. He was still dirty, and he was a drunkard as well; spending most of his time drinking rum. Nevertheless, Helena was beginning to almost…well….like him.

For two more weeks, the skies were fairly cloudy, and Susanna stayed mostly down in the hold, away from the rest of the crew, who stayed topside, as she tended to get rather seasick. Jack, who was wondering where she was on the fourteenth day, was climbing down the steps to the hold rather quietly when he heard women's voices.

"Helena, I'm sure it isn't much longer. Everything is going to be fine."

"But Susanna, We're been traveling for weeks! Singapore must not be too far away...I pray we don't have much longer. I need to find my brother, Susanna." Jack looked confused, and raised an eyebrow.

"What…?" He poked his head in the room to find 'Sam', and 'Crispin' with their shirts off, cloth wrapped around their chests. 'Crispin's' hair was hanging around 'his' face, and 'Sam' was fixing the knot on the cloth around 'Crispin'. Jack's eyes widened. Women. There were two women. He'd been right in suspecting them, but it wasn't like he could just reveal them to the crew; they wouldn't exactly be warmly welcomed. Instead, he walked right in, to Helena and Susanna's shock, and looked calmly at both of them.

"So. It seems there's something you failed to tell us, dears." Helena shrieked, but it was muffled by Susanna's hand.

"We didn't mean any harm..." She said quietly, "We only want to find her brother." Helena calmed down, and looked up at Jack pleadingly.

"Please, let us stay aboard…we've been fine as sailors so far…we've pulled our weight… Let us stay on until Singapore, at least. After that, we'll be gone, and you'll never have to hear from us again." She stood, determined, and looked him straight in the eyes. "I can tell you, honestly, that we will not fail to do our duty on this ship even now that you know who we are." Jack nodded, scratching his chin.

"That's an interesting proposition, that is. But first, I'd like the truth. What are two women doing as pirates?" Susanna stepped up to the plate then, pulling Helena down to sit on a barrel next to her, pulling on her shirt, and asking Jack to take a seat as Helena dressed as well.

"My name is Susanna Thomason. This is my dearest friend, Helena Craven. Helena…lost her brother some years ago, and they were very close. The day before we came to be on your crew, Helena heard sailors mention that her brother went to Singapore." Helena had hung her head, and was staring at the floor when Jack looked over at her. "I was amazed that Helena came up with this plan to masquerade as boys, and find a ship to sail on, especially taking into consideration that she's afraid of sailing, and is cautious of sailors of any kind. She's been so ever since her brother was presumed dead. She took his name and she and I boarded your ship. We only want to find Crispin. To see if he's all right…for Helena's sake." Jack nodded thoughtfully, but grinned.

"Well…I'm sure the crew would not mind that you're women…How's about this. You join me for dinner tonight, Miss Susanna, and we can talk everything over." Helena looked away. Over the days, Susanna had grown fonder and fonder of Jack, and had vocally expressed her opinions of him to Helena, who could only nod and smile. Helena…Helena actually had developed a sort of feeling for Jack. She was starting to see through him as a pirate. She didn't mind all that much the drinking…or perhaps it was just that she thought he was rather handsome. He may be dirty, but he still had a nice look about him. And he was certainly not like anyone she'd ever met and thought she'd liked before. He was so different, and perhaps that was why she liked him. Nevertheless, Helena liked him. Quite a lot. But now…now he was inviting Susanna to dinner. She knew it was silly to get worked up over something that trivial, but still…it wasn't like she could take this chance away from her best friend. She would stay quiet, and remain a boy. She looked up then, and over at Jack and Susanna.

"Susanna, you can expose yourself. But make it so that you and I are siblings…I don't care if they still think I'm a boy." Both looked at her oddly.

"But….Helena…." Susanna began, but Helena silenced her.

"No. I would rather remain a boy than waste all we've strived for." And with that, she walked between the two, and up the stairs to the deck, leaving Jack and Susanna looking confused and Susanna a bit worried. Susanna sighed.

"She's just on edge because we haven't arrived yet. That's all…And yes," She smiled, "I would be very happy to join you for dinner tonight." This was what she had wanted ever since she'd first seen him on this ship, was to reveal herself to him, and have him like her in return. She blushed, just thinking about it, and smiled at him again. Jack nodded, smiling a half smile, and walked back up topside. He would have to admit to himself, the blonde girl, Helena, as Susanna had called her, was a bit prettier, with her hair longer than that of a young man, but Susanna was more open, and not so adamant about things. Helena was being ridiculous – wanting to stay a boy…it was odd for a young woman to be so serious about something like that. A bit too odd for his taste. He sighed, watching Helena now, as she helped hoist the sail, she truly looked as though she had the strength of a boy, but with a much prettier face. She'd gotten much tanner from all her days in the sun, and was even rather dirty, looking like a true pirate. He once again took the helm, and watched as Susanna came up from the hold. She walked over to Helena, and it looked as though she were trying to talk to her, but Helena didn't seem to be listening.

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My second chapter! I'm so excited...I've been writing nonstop. XD I've finally loaded that/those pictures of Helena onto deviantart...so go check 'em out. I'm Myoubichan.


	3. The all inspiring Rum

That night, Jack made the announcement that they'd be arriving in Singapore in the next two to three days. Helena looked relieved, but the whole crew now thought, with aid from Susanna and Jack, that she and Susanna were brother and sister. Of course, it looked the other way around, as 'Crispin' was the one with the longer hair. Helena went about her duties that night, helping mop the deck with a few other sailors. But when she went by the captain's quarters, even through the dirty glass, she could see two figures too close together to truly just be eating. She could hear laughing from both parties, Jack's chuckling, and Susanna's giggling. It was more than she could take, and she finally admitted to herself that she wished it were her in that room with Jack. She wanted to talk to him about his travels, about treasures, about far off lands...but she realized that with her being a 'boy' now, and with Susanna being so open with everything, it seemed impossible. And so, she announced to the crew that she'd be taking over the crow's nest shift. She climbed the rope ladder, and relieved the other sailor of his duty, and then climbed up on the railing and sat, dangling her feet over the edge. It was a quiet, calm, night…she figured she'd be fine doing this. But after a little while, she got tired of sitting, and laid out on her back around the bottom of the nest, and gazed up at the sky. It was truly beautiful out here…she couldn't really say she'd been able to enjoy things like this the last time that she'd been on a ship. And for some reason now, she felt like she had really accomplished something at the end of each day. She was able to sleep soundly, knowing that she had helped with something important to someone. It was a good feeling, and it made her feel….well…complete. And now, as relaxed as she was, she smiled, and everything else seemed to melt away, save for her and the stars.

Helena was beginning to fall asleep when she looked at her watch, or, rather, the watch she'd stolen from her father, and realized how late it was. But then again, there were no clouds in sight, and it seemed that the rest of the crew had gone in for the night. They'd anchored for that night, because no one had really gotten much sleep lately, so that Jack and the rest of the crew could rest. She shut her eyes then, figuring it would be fine to sleep up here, when she heard a soft thudding noise. She figured it was nothing, but then someone sat down near her, and she heard Jack's voice.

"You know, it defeats the whole purpose of the crow's nest if you fall asleep up here, love." She opened her eyes, sat up, and looked over at him.

"Captain Sparrow? What are you doing up here?" She asked, dropping her boy's voice. He laid back.

"I figured you'd like some company up here, instead of being all by your onesie." She watched him for a moment. So much for rest…

"What happened to Susanna?" She asked quietly. He stared up at the sky.

"She wanted to go to bed. Said she was tired." Helena nodded.

"She usually gets tired early. And she's been working a lot lately...we all have." She laid back now. "Tell me, Captain Sparrow-you've been to Singapore before, right?"

"Course I have."

"What have I to expect?" Jack sighed.

"It's overrun. People everywhere." He replied. She nodded.

"I see. So then…if you're looking for someone, it most likely will be rather hard then, yes?" she looked over at him, and he nodded.

"But it depends on if you know where to look or not." He looked over at her, grinning his rascal's grin. She smirked.

"I take it _you_ know where to look then?"

"I know where to look." She laughed. He looked over at her, raising an eyebrow. "You doubt me?" She smiled.

"No…of course not, Captain." He watched her for a moment.

"You don't have to call me 'Captain' all the time, mate. All the rest just call me Jack." She nodded, looking up again.

"All right, Jack." He too looked back up at the sky. It was quiet for a moment, and Helena struggled to find something to say. Finally, she spoke up. "How long have you been a pirate?" She asked. He laughed.

"That's like asking a woman her age." He replied. "I've been a pirate for probably longer than you've been walking." She was rather taken aback. So he was that much older than her? Well, either that, or he'd been a pirate from childhood… Goodness. That put things into a bit of perspective. She wondered how much Susanna would like him once she found out how old he was. Susanna always had liked men more her age, but Helena wanted more of an intellectual partner. She didn't want to be stuck with someone she couldn't talk to or relate to at all. She looked over at him.

"So you're basically an old man-as compared to me." She chuckled. He smirked at her, shaking his head. He rolled over to face her and she heard something clink. She raised an eyebrow, looking at him, and asked,

"And what was that?"

"Inspiration for conversation." She snorted.

"If by inspiration, you mean 'rum' then I might have a problem." He watched her for a moment, realizing she was serious.

"And why is that?"

"Because rum is a poor excuse for inspiration." He laughed.

"Is that so?" She nodded, looking up again.

"It certainly is." He unplugged the bottle, and took a drink.

"_I_ think it's a perfect excuse for inspiration." She watched him take another drink, and sighed.

"Oh fine. I wouldn't want you to have all the fun yourself." He passed her the bottle, and she sat up and took a sip. It burned her tongue and her throat, but wasn't all that bad. She took an actual drink this time, and smiled. The burning was turning into a tingling sensation now, and it was getting a bit more enjoyable. But Helena, having a low tolerance for alcohol, was already beginning to feel a bit lightheaded. Jack chuckled, watching her.

"It's to your liking, I take it?" She thought for a moment, and nodded slowly.

"It's not all that bad…" She lay back again, thinking. "Why did you want to talk to me anyways?" She asked, looking at him. He paused.

"Not sure, love." He sighed, rolling onto his back. "Possibly you seemed too uptight." She thought about this.

"That's a silly reason…" She laughed.

"Maybe it is. But I'm a silly pirate, savvy?" He looked at her and she laughed as he made an odd face.

"I see." She replied, giggling. He grinned.

"Now, this is the side I want to see!" She made a face.

"Well, maybe you will see more of this side." She took a long drink of the rum, and before she could stop, Jack grabbed the bottle from her.

"Now, now, love. Let's save some for old Jack." She laughed.

"Oh, sure, sure."

"I'm quite serious."

"Yes, for once, and it's about _rum_." She laughed.

"Every time, love." He said, his words starting to slur a bit as he took another two quick drinks. She laughed, and he passed her the bottle again as she reached for it. She took a swig, and now her vision was getting a bit foggy, and _her_ words were slurring now. She yawned, laughing, and lay back down again.

"Rum…I believe I have a newfound appreciation for it. It really _is_ good inspiration...I feel like I could paint the sky right now…" She reached up and acted like she was holding a paintbrush, zipping it here and there in a drunken manner above her. Jack scooted over next to her, and took her hand.

"And I'll help you paint." He chuckled, helping her try to steady her hand. It wasn't exactly working. She laughed even harder as their elbows gave in and their arms fell over one another. He was laughing with her, and she suddenly began singing a sailor's shanty. He sang with her, and at the end, they couldn't go on, they were laughing too hard. Helena put a finger to her lips, as she was laughing, looking over at him, tears in her eyes.

"Shhh!" She said , slurring her 'h' sound. "We'll wake the whole ship!" She hissed through her laughter. Jack put a finger to her lips.

"Hush, love, or you'll wake them up yourself!" He whispered, getting dangerously close to her ear. She pulled away, looking at him suspiciously.

"Why, Captain Sparrow, if I didn't know any better, I would think you were trying to kiss me!" He grinned, getting rather close.

"Of course not, love, we haven't been talking long enough."

"Jack! I don't think that I've drunk enough to tolerate that!" She laughed.

"How much more do you need, then?" He asked, and she snickered.

"Just wait until tomorrow night, then we'll see. It's getting too late anyways." She said dazedly. He nodded, his laughter subsiding.

"We ought to turn in then, eh?" she nodded.

"Yes." And with that, the two of them tried their luck at climbing down the ladder. Jack first, and he got all the way down. It made her think he'd probably practiced. Then it was her turn, and shakily, she started down the ladder. Towards the middle, she lost her footing, and fell backwards, her breath taken from her in her panic. It was by a miracle that Jack managed to catch her, or, at least, soften her fall considerably, because as soon as her body hit his, his knees gave, and the two tumbled to the deck, Helena breathing heavily, clutching her chest, Jack laughing.

"That was a close call, eh?" Helena looked at him as if he were mad, and then she herself started laughing too. They got up, and Jack took her to the sleeping quarters, and helped her into her hammock. She shut her eyes, and after only a few moments was drifting into sleep, saying:

"G'night, Jack…" Lazily, her eyes still shut. He grinned at this, and, shaking his head, he headed to his quarters for some needed rest.

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I'm getting more pictures of Helena up on my deviantart account. This story is really all I've been thinking about these days when I get bored. Which is mostly at school...but whatever.


	4. And the navy finally makes an entrance

It was rather slow going the next day. Everyone, especially a certain captain and young 'man' who'd been minding the crow's nest. When Susanna went to rouse Helena from her slumber, Helena swatted at her, nestling deeper into her blanket. Susanna frowned. What had kept Helena up all that night? She was a bit suspicious about that, but said nothing; instead she put on a smile, and shook Helena again.

"Come on sleepyhead….get up! We've got a ship to run!" But it was at this time that Jack came down the stairs, and called to Susanna:

"Leave her be, she was in the crow's nest all night. Let her sleep, come up topside." Susanna nodded, and followed Jack up, leaving Helena to her sleep.

Helena woke a few hours later, and the crew greeted her with grins and jokes. She smiled; they still thought she was a boy, and that was fine with her.

"Oi, Crispin! Have a good rest?"

"Sure took you long enough!"

"Is there a woman you snuck on board with your sister?"

"Sure! That's why he was up so late, eh Crispin?" Helena rolled her eyes.

"Sure, mate, I snuck a woman on board. Two shillings to the first one who can find her!" She laughed. Jack snickered, and Susanna looked a bit disturbed, but the crew laughed heartily, and clapped her on the back a few times. Mr. Gibbs looked over at Jack grinning.

"Couldn't have found a better sailor, Jack, eh?" Jack smiled.

"Not a one, from there, and on such short notice, mate." Helena shook her head.

"You flatter me, Captain." She replied with a bow, taking her hat off. Susanna had folded her arms in front of herself, and didn't look too happy. But after a moment, she put a smile on as Helena was joking with Jack-and he was laughing-and she pulled Helena aside, saying:

"Excuse us, gentleman, I need a word with my brother…" And with that, she pulled Helena below.

"What are you DOING!" Susanna hissed. Helena looked confused.

"What on earth do you mean?" She asked, bewildered. Susanna paced a few steps away, sighing, and turned her back to Helena.

"If I didn't know any better, Helena, I'd think you were _becoming_ one of these pirates. And I'd think you were getting close to Captain Sparrow." Helena looked surprised.

"Susanna, you're overreacting…there's nothing wrong with this. I've at least conquered my fears…I don't mind this seafaring business. It's lovely, being out on the ocean…" She replied. Susanna rounded on her.

"Well I'm SICK of it! I get sick all the time," Which was something Helena knew to be true... "And these pirates, while _slightly_ good-natured, are driving me mad! This entire trip was a mistake on my part, and I want out! We've come all this way, and we're not even sure if we'll find Crispin at all! You've gone mad, Helena, to take this chance, and drag me in with you!" Helena's eyes widened.

"Susanna, you don't need to get so worked up! You're right, we have come very far; but think! We can't just turn back now-"

"THAT is what I mean! I WANT to turn back, but it's too late now!"

"You're not _listening_ to me, Susanna! We've already come this far, let's see it through!" Susanna growled.

"Helena! Do you hear yourself! YOU'RE the one who was afraid of sailors in the first place, and now suddenly you LIKE all of this!" Helena sighed.

"People change, Susanna. Did you just expect me to stay the same for my entire life? Especially after this voyage…" Susanna frowned.

"This change is so sudden for you. What happened, hmm? Who did you sleep with! Was it the Captain? Both of you slept in this morning..." Helena looked offended on the highest level.

"How dare you! Don't dare say that to me again! I would never do such a thing!" Susanna, however, suddenly pulled back her arm and slapped Helena across the face.

"You are in no place to be saying such things to me!" She replied loudly. Helena just stared at her disbelievingly.

"How…how…dare…you…" She whispered, not believing what Susanna was saying and doing. She walked straight up to Susanna, and slapped her back. "I have nothing further to say to you. I suggest you not speak to me for the next twenty-four hours, as I will disregard and completely ignore anything you say. You have insulted me to the greatest measure, and can most likely not have anything else you want to say to me." And with that, she walked off, up the stairs, and past a startled Jack.

"Crispin…?" He called Helena by her boy's name, as about half the crew were standing outside the hold, looking shocked. They'd heard Susanna's final shout, and gathered around. They hadn't heard the rest, thank goodness, or they would want to know who 'Helena' was. They hadn't heard, to Helena's secret delight, and if they had, they didn't ask. Helena strode past the men, and to the bow, staring out over the water. Susanna emerged only moments later, with an angry, 'hmph!', and headed to the opposite end of the ship.

What no one on the ship knew-after all, it had taken them long enough to track them down-was that the royal navy was out and after Helena and Susanna. A General Smythe was heading the mission, and the mission in question was to bring back the two girls. Of course, our pirates did have a head start on the navy- they'd been on course for seven days, and the navy had only been en route for four days. Of course, they'd covered more ground as well, though, and they had a faster ship. The navy was almost on the pirate's tails, but were only at least a day's worth of sailing behind.


	5. Sweet Rum and Pirate Kisses

That night, Jack searched out Helena and the two of them snuck to the crow's nest yet again, to talk and drink rum. Helena laid back onto the bottom of the nest again, as she had done the night before, and took a bottle from her belt. Jack had given Helena her own bottle this time, and she sighed happily.

"It's a clear night again…" She smiled. "Sometimes, I feel like I could sleep out here." She looked over at Jack, "I know it wouldn't be the smartest thing to do, but it might actually be nice. And, you'd get fresh air all night." Both of them laughed.

"I suppose it'd be nicer than sleeping with the sweet lullaby of snoring and the scent of sweat and a hard day's labor, eh?" Jack asked. Helena laughed.

"I suppose it would be." She elbowed him. "You've got no room to talk, of course. You're always in your quarters by this time. No sweaty snoring for old Jack…"He chuckled, taking a long drink of rum.

"And I'm lucky for that?" It was her turn to take a drink.

"Well if the shoe fits…" He took another drink.

"Being alone is _not_ lucky, love." She took a long look at him as he stared at the sky, and then she, too, looked back up.

"I suppose we're both alone now." She said quietly, and took another drink of rum now. Jack looked over at Helena this time.

"You mean what happened with Miss Thomason today?" She looked back at him.

"You heard all of that?"

"Half the crew heard the last bit. I was fortunate enough to hear the whole of it."

"Oh." She sighed. "None of you should have heard that. It was just between us…and it was completely unladylike. We shouldn't have said the things we did…" Jack chuckled.

"Well, I hate to have to be the one to tell you, but pretending to be a boy isn't the most ladylike thing in this world either. As for saying what you said…well…there's not much I can say to that." Helena nodded.

"I understand. It's fine." He nodded.

"No worries then."

"No, there are _some_ worries, I suppose. I don't think I'm going to speak to Susanna again anytime soon…and we're almost to Singapore; we've still got the whole trip back, if you're willing to take us home…" He looked over at her.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because for one, we basically snuck our female selves onto your ship, paraded around as boys, fought with one another about…well…you heard it…and now we're causing your problems." He thought about this.

"Well, Miss Craven, you're rather frank about all of this…" She shook her head, smiling. "But I've got to tell you that it was Susanna who started this whole ugly mess…" Helena looked at him in surprise.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, that Susanna was the one who pulled you aside, and she was the one who started the argument. You shouldn't feel guilty…you know who was the right one, so it really doesn't matter." Helena shook her head.

"No, it really does matter. I've probably just lost my best friend, and all over a stupid argument." Jack looked up at the skies, like Helena.

"Way I see it, if she loses your friendship over something this silly; she wasn't that good a friend to begin with." Helena's eyes widened. She hadn't thought of it that way…Now that it had been brought into the light, it was a hard point to ignore.

"Do you really think so?"

"I'm fairly sure."

"Oh."

"You sound surprised."

"I am, a bit. I never really thought of it that way." She replied. He nodded.

"There's not many who would, when angry." She nodded, agreeing, and took a long drink from her bottle of rum, then sighed.

"I believe you're right." She replied slowly, taking another quick sip of rum. "But I've got to say, I thought you liked Susanna much more than myself." Jack looked over at her, surprised.

"Why would you think that?" Helena laughed.

"Well…possibly, it was because of the way you looked at her when you first found out she was a girl. Or maybe it was the fact that you invited her to dinner that night, instead of me…or maybe-" He cut her off.

"All right, all right…I understand…" He scooted around the mast so that his head was closer to hers. "But I will say, that isn't what I had intended for you to think." He said in a low voice, looking her in the eyes.

"Then what were you meaning for me to think?" She said quietly.

"That I didn't care that you were women. That I'd let both of you stay, savvy?" She shut her eyes as he moved his face closer to hers.

"Well you just got your point across…" He too had closed his eyes, and Helena could feel his breath on her lips, so close were they. Unfortunately, just when their mouths almost met, who would come out in her nightdress but Susanna.

"Who's up in the crow's nest?" The two froze. Jack slid behind the mast, and out of the possible line of sight, leaving Helena to answer.

"I am, Susanna." She called down in an irritated voice. Down below, Susanna's brow furrowed.

"Fine. I just thought I was hearing things. Goodnight." Helena watched her walk away, and down into the sleeping quarters.

"That was much too close…if she'd caught me up here with you, I don't know what she would have done…" Helena breathed, turning towards where Jack was sitting. But when she turned, Jack took her hands, pulled her to him, and kissed her, soundly, on the mouth. Her eyes widened, and then shut, as she fell into his arms, and into his kiss. After what seemed like a blissful eternity, Jack pulled back, and Helena still had her eyes closed, for a moment, letting the kiss linger on her lips. After those few moments, she slowly opened her eyes, looking surprised, but happy. She smiled a shy smile, and almost couldn't meet his eyes. But he still had her hands, and he pulled them up to his face so that she would raise her head to look at him. She did, and when her eyes met his, she blushed.

"Jack, I-" He shushed her.

"No worries, love. I helped you get Susanna to leave, you helped me, we're square." Helena looked confused.

"Helped you with what?" Jack grinned, letting go of her hand, and scooting back a bit, to lean against the mast.

"Bad heart, Ellie." He patted his chest. "Nothing in it…empty, savvy?" She blushed again, and asked cautiously:

"And now…?"

"Well…I think now there's nary any room for much else." Helena giggled in embarrassment.

"Except rum, eh?"

"There's always room for rum, love." Helena gave him a look like many others she'd given him before, shaking her head. He shrugged, still grinning, and pulled his hat down over his eyes, taking a long drink of rum, as he had neglected to do for a little while now. He exhaled loudly and looked up at the sky, taking his hat off. Helena scooted in next to him, taking a drink out of her rum bottle as well, and sighed. Jack put an arm around her shoulders, and pursed his lips for a moment, then looked over at Helena.

"We're going to have to keep this from the crew, you know." Helena thought about this for a moment, and then nodded.

"I know. Seeing as how they still think I'm 'Crispin'…" She laughed, saying this. He chuckled.

"Crew might see it as being a little too odd." He laughed, taking a drink of rum, this one short. Helena smiled at him.

"At least we'll know, however." She replied, taking a drink of rum. Jack nodded.

"I've always loved a good scandal." He said jokingly. Helena bumped her shoulder against his arm.

"You goose…" she laughed, but the laughter was short lived, and she was getting drunk. She leaned her head on his shoulder, and sighed. "You know, Jack, I always thought my brother would be lonely on the sea…" Her vision was misting over. "But if he's anywhere as lucky as I, he'll be fine…" Jack looked down at her.

"Whatever do you mean, Ellie?" Apparently he'd taken to calling her this.

"I mean, you're a very interesting companion. And you introduced me to rum…" She paused. "But I want to know more about you. How did you become a pirate? Why? Where are you from? Do you have any family left? What sort of distant places have you been to?" She looked up at him. "I know practically nothing about you." She paused again. "But…I feel so strangely drawn to you, that it almost frightens me." It was probably the rum talking, but whoever or whatever it was, it was telling him how she really felt. She didn't completely comprehend what she was saying, but she had the strangest feeling she might be saying too much. Jack was silent, looking up at the sky. But after a moment, he looked down at her, and grinned.

"Most of those questions are ones you won't want the answers to." She looked confused.

"What do you mean?" He sighed, looking back upwards.

"Mayhap it's that I just don't want to answer a few of them…" He said, not meeting her eyes. Helena looked at him worriedly.

"If you don't want to talk about it, you really don't have to. I was just curious and I didn't really think about how you might feel about me prying and-" He cut her off.

"I'll tell you a few things about myself, however." He replied. She nodded, waiting.

"I'll make it the shorter version, because we're a bit short on time. I became a pirate because my father before me is. I haven't seen him in years. My mother died when I was very young, and I have no brothers or sisters." Helena nodded, listening intently, but looked saddened. "I sailed on the Black Pearl not but three years ago-" Helena interrupted.

"The Black Pearl!"

"I was its captain, love."

"You-truly?" He nodded, staring up at the sky.

"The greatest ship on any of the seas." He sighed wistfully. "And I was captain. That was, until my first mate committed mutiny." He scowled, and took a long drink of rum, which nearly finished off the bottle. He shook it, sighed, and set it down next to himself. Helena watched him silently, then asked,

"Barbossa?" She had heard stories of the Black Pearl. Apparently, when one is mutinied, word spreads rather quickly. Jack nodded.

"Barbossa. He was my first mate." Helena nodded, and took a drink of rum herself.

"I see." He nodded again.

"He left me stranded on a desert island, with naught but one pistol carrying one shot. Now, if he'd played his cards right, I would be dead right now." Helena looked at him in surprise.

"Why would you be dead?" But as soon as she asked the question, she seemed to know the answer. The pistol. Of course. Jack nodded, knowing that she'd realized.

"Exactly." He sighed. "And he was almost right. Three days on an island do a number to you." Helena's eyes widened.

"You spent three days on that island!" He nodded.

"Three days on that God-forsaken spit of land."

"You know, I've heard stories about you before." She said, drinking her rum, and feeling more intoxicated than ever. Jack looked over at her for a moment, and then asked hesitantly,

"Such as?" Helena took another drink.

"Well…you know…here and there…when I was younger, of course….and well…they seemed truly unbelievable…." He frowned slightly.

"Let me show you something." He proceeded to show her a series of scars placed in various spots on his body. Her eyes widened, as even in her inebriated state, she acknowledged what he was showing and telling her. "Yes, Helena. They're completely unbelievable." Helena stared at him for a moment.

"You mean to say….to say that everything I've heard is true?" He smirked.

"Now I don't know about that. I don't know what all you've heard." She laughed, taking a drink of her rum, nearly completely out of her senses by now, laughing quietly but hysterically. He grinned, watching her laugh after a moment, and then laughed about as hard as she was, finishing off his bottle of rum now as well. Helena drank more and more until finally the bottle was empty, and she fell back against the mast, exhausted from laughing. Jack waved his empty bottle in front of himself for a moment, wrapping an arm around Helena's shoulders. She leaned in against him, sighing, smiling.

"Jack, you know…I want you to meet my brother." He looked down at her.

"Your brother?"

"Crispin. The reason I'm here in the first place."

"I thought you were here because you had heard _I_ was on board." He said almost seriously. She looked up at him for a moment, arching a brow.

"Well no. I came out here to find my brother." Jack sighed, grinning.

"The life of a pirate is a lonely one." Helena gave him a light punch in the arm.

"Well, now that I'm here, I'll make sure you're not lonely anymore." Jack looked at her in surprise.

"You're serious?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because I'm a pirate, and you're a well-to-do socialite. The two don't exactly mix, love."

"Well…we can change that."

"You don't know what you're saying, do you?" She laughed.

"That may very well be the case." It was his turn to laugh.

"So why are you having to look for this brother of yours?" Helena looked out over the ocean, her laughter ceasing.

"My brother, Crispin, is six years older than me. When I was sixteen, we came on the crossing from England to Port Royal, but Crispin wasn't with us. That was about five years ago. Three years before our crossing, he'd decided to become a sailor, and set out with a crew of merchant sailors. In the following four years, we heard from him every now and again, and had even prepared a room for him at our new home. He had not married, nor had he found a girl he liked yet. But after those four years, we suddenly lost contact with him. My father asked probably all of the sailors to come in and out of the port if they had seen him, but for six months, we heard nothing. Finally, after half a year, a crew of sailors said he'd gone missing near an island off of Africa. My mother and father were stricken, and my father sent out the navy to find him. No one did. But on the day before I came to be on your ship, I heard two sailors speaking of a man named Crispin Craven. They said he'd been on a trip to Singapore, and I decided to go after him. Susanna decided to come with me, and we set out the next day to find a crew headed to Singapore. We found Mister Gibbs, and he led us here." Jack listened intently, nodding at the end.

"Well. Aren't I lucky you two found us before we left, then…" Helena smiled.

"I guess I'm lucky too." He raised an eyebrow.

"Why is that?"

"Because I found you, and I found that ships and sailors aren't all that bad." Jack laughed.

"I see." Helena nodded.

"Yes. But, my dear Captain Sparrow, I'm afraid we'll be needing to get to sleep now." She yawned, laughing, as she was still intoxicated. Jack – yawns being contagious – followed suit, and nodded.

"I'm afraid you're right." He stood, and she did too, only on wobbly legs. He again helped her down the ladder, and to her hammock in the crew's quarters. She stood before him for a moment, watching him with a smile on her face, and then yawned, laughing,

"Good night, Captain Jack." And with that, Jack kissed her once again, and she kissed back instinctively this time as he pressed her back against one of the pillars holding the ship together. This was a deeper kiss, wherein his tongue was in her mouth, to her surprise, and there seemed to be more hunger in it as well. His hands roamed to the ties of her shirt, but she pulled away, stopping him.

"No…we can't…" He just stared at her for a moment, and then she let go of her hands. "We just can't…not now…not here…" His eyes widened for a second. What was she implying?

"Well then. I await tomorrow night impatiently, if that be the case." Helena blushed.

"I won't make any promises."

"You won't have to, Ellie." And with that, he left her to her thoughts and her bed, leaving the crew's quarters, and going topside.


	6. Confusion

The next morning seemed like murder to Helena. She had a hangover, and a rather bad one at that. The crew continued to make jokes about 'Crispin's' hangover, until it subsided, and they commended Helena for her endurance of it. She still had an awful headache, but at least the nausea had run out.

General Smythe, back on The Sea Treader, stood at the helm gazing out over the horizon. He was young, for a general, and had come to Port Royal to look for Helena straight from England. The important factor here was that General Julian Smythe had been one of Helena's suitors not too long ago. Her most recent suitor, to be exact. She'd only been seventeen, and he'd been at least twenty-five. She'd felt like she was too young then, and had declined all of his forward attempts. She had never wanted to hurt him, but in the end, she felt as though she had. He thought she had only declined due to her age, and had decided to wait for her. Now, when the chance to see her again blossomed before him, he decided to take it, thus, he was aboard this ship now, searching for her, and for Susanna. At twenty-nine now, he decided that, Helena being four years older, she should be ready.

Helena managed to weather the day, and avoid Susanna at the same time as trying to get rid of her headache. Susanna, on the other hand, was growing more and more suspicious of something developing between Helena and a member of the crew. Helena had been acting too strange lately for there not to be. She seemed to be too happy today, and Susanna knew she was battling a hangover as well, and that only helped to nurture her suspicions. The only problem was that no one else of the crew was showing any signs of being sick like Helena. Well, there was that, but she hadn't seen the captain all day either. That roused Susanna's interest even further - the captain was usually at the helm from day's beginning to day's end. She was getting angrier and angrier by the second making the connection between the two, and it really was not helping her nerves. Helena knew that Susanna had begun to develop feelings for the captain – why would she just cut in like that? Susanna asked this to herself, and then in the back of her mind a little voice seemed to answer her.

"It's so she can be better than you. Look here, she's always been jealous of you. You were always prettier, more conversational, and an all around better person. She's envious!" Susanna smirked. This must be the reason. Besides, while she had never admitted it to herself, even, she'd always thought Helena a bit jealous. Of course, to  
Susanna this made perfect sense. Helena was trying to beat Susanna at something, and it was getting to the captain. 'Well,' she thought to herself smugly, 'two can play at this game.'

That night, while the crew and Helena were eating, laughing, and carrying on, Susanna was eating in the captain's quarters with Jack. She'd made this a ritual, ever since it came out in the open that she was a girl. Jack had never tried to do anything to her, or tried to take advantage of her, either. She'd thought this a bit odd; he was a pirate after all, and it wasn't like she hadn't gotten a few remarks from a few other members of the crew. But tonight things would be different. She would show the captain some of her affection…and see where things went. Besides, it wasn't like anyone would know…and if they did find out, Susanna was a girl, and they knew that.

After a few minutes of eating in silence, Susanna got up, and moved her chair to be next to Jack's, and he looked up from his plate at her.

"You'll be needing something, I expect?" Susanna smiled a coy smile.

"Oh, of course not…being here and having the honor of eating with you is enough for me…" She said breathily. Jack arched a brow at her, but continued his meal. Susanna leaned on her arms on the table then, gazing at Jack with a lusty glint in her eyes "It must be so terribly lonely to be a captain…to be the only one in charge…" Jack looked at her out of the corner of his eye when she placed a hand on his arm. But she continued nonetheless. "To be a pirate running from the navy…no women aboard the ship…" Jack smirked. He knew what she was doing, and almost laughed at her. Instead he pretended to be interested.

"Oh it is, love. Not a very good line of work, pirating." Susanna smiled seductively.

"Oh but it's so very exciting…" Jack watched as she leaned in closer. "And I have so much time tonight…Why don't we…talk…for a little while?" Jack stood then, and made it sound as though he were truly going to miss out on something.

"As much as I would love to, dearie, I must decline your offer. We're nearly to Singapore, and I've got to steer nearly all night. If you want to talk, Helena should be in the crow's nest all night…she'll have plenty of time to ta-" but Susanna cut him off.

"Oh…no…it's perfectly fine….I think I'll retire for the night." And with that, Susanna was off, Jack smirking at her retreating back.

That night, after all the crew had finally retired, Helena stood at the rails of the ship, gazing out over the ocean. It was at this time that Jack came up behind her, and, while she still had her back to him, said,

"Lovely night, isn't it?" Helena turned to him for a moment, and smiled, looking back out at the sea.

"It is." She replied, sighing softly. Jack walked up to stand next to her.

"Now. Whatever could be the matter with dear Ellie?" Helena didn't look up.

"It's nothing…"

"Come, come now, love, I know that's not the right answer." She gave him a look that was slightly annoyed.

"Really, Jack. It's nothing. I guess…I guess I just realized how much I miss my family." Jack watched her stare out across the sky for a second, and then spoke up, having appeared to have given this some thought.

"Well, hopefully, you'll see one of your number soon. That's, of course, taking into mind that we may not find him." Helena looked up at the captain for a beat, and then sighed, turning from him again.

"That didn't exactly help." Jack, too, sighed, and rested his arms on the railing.

"Well, I can't read minds, so I don't know what you would have wanted me to say." Helena nodded, finally, and smiled ruefully.

"I know. You're right – it isn't right for me to be cruel…especially not to you." She said quietly. He frowned slightly.

"And why's that?" She looked up at him silently, and then spoke.

"Because you've been so kind to me. Even after I lied to you…and after the embarrassment you must have suffered at my fight with Susanna." She looked down. "I_ am_ sorry…" Jack placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Helena, it's all right. Way I see it, you done what's right by you." Helena stared up at him disbelievingly for a moment.

"You…how can you just put it off like that?"

"Well…there'll be a few reasons. One, I can't rightly throw you lot overboard. There would be sharks everywhere, and it would get messy. Two, I don't want me conscience guilted over something silly. And three, I don't want you off me ship, savvy?" Helena just stared.

"And so that…that's just it. _That's_ why you just put it off like nothing." Jack nodded. Helena suddenly started to laugh, and Jack raised an eyebrow at her antics. "I truly adore your attitude!" She laughed. Jack grinned, shaking his head, and took a sweeping bow, removing his hat as well. Helena calmed, and then sighed away her laughter, smiling. "Honestly, your power to make me laugh astounds even myself."

"A pirate always does his best." She chuckled.

"Well then. How about you do your best at getting us some rum?" He smirked.

"Guess I walked right into that, didn't I?" She nodded.

"Yes, you did." He shook his head, but motioned for her to follow him.

"I'll show you my private collection." She looked skeptical about this, but he kept walking, and so she followed anyways.

They were in the Captain's Quarters now, and Helena was looking around curiously.

"Goodness, it's nice and cozy in here…" Jack didn't look back; he was rummaging through a drawer in a desk for something or other. Finally, he produced a small key, and put it to the lock on a cabinet on the floor boards. She watched him do this, and then pull the cabinet doors open as well. Inside was an assortment of bottles, and from the sound of their clinking, they were all quite full. She raised her eyebrows in surprise at this, and as he produced two medium sized bottles, green in color, she took hers from him and smiled.

"Now, that wasn't such a burden, was it?" She uncorked her bottle, and took a drink, and Jack followed suit.

"No…no, it wasn't." He admitted, nodding and walking up to her. She took another drink of rum, watching him. "But right about now, neither is this." He snaked his free arm around her waist and pulled her to him almost roughly, kissing her. She shut her eyes, and fumbled around, not looking, to try and set her rum on the desk that he had now pushed her up against. She finally seemed to get her bearings, and set the rum down, returning his kiss, his tongue ravaging the inside of her mouth. She put her arms around his neck, and pulled him closer, and by now, Jack had set his bottle down as well – his hand was on Helena's cheek. The two carried on like this for at least a good minute, until they had to stop for air. Jack pulled away and Helena gasped, but it was a gasp of surprise, and of pleasure. He again pulled her close, his one hand on her lower waist, his other hand entangled in her white-blonde hair, and kissed her once more. But as his hands moved to untie the sash at her waist, a thought struck her.

'What if this goes too far? What if-' the second thought was not one she wanted to complete. She was certainly not ready for…she could feel herself paling. Jack didn't notice, though, untying her sash, and moving to the buttons on her vest. He managed to undo those as she chased her thoughts, and she was left in boots, breeches, and a loose shirt. Of course, there was the wrapping around her bosom to keep her breasts from falling free under her shirt, but that could be dispatched of quickly. She rapidly sorted through the sea of ideas popping into her head, and suddenly stopped him, backing up a step, his arms falling loosely around her waist. She put her hands on his chest, though, to stop him.

"We-We have to stop…" She gasped, her face pale. More so than usual. Jack looked at her oddly.

"What's wrong, Ellie?" She looked away.

"I just…I don't…I'm not…"She trailed off. "I just…" She suddenly broke from him, grabbing up her sash and vest and darting for the door. "I just….I just can't. I'm…I'm sorry!" she cried softly, dashing out the doors, and to the crew's quarters, leaving Jack alone and confused.


	7. Crispin Finally Appears

The next day when they sighted land that they discerned to be Singapore, Helena and Jack barely had any interface, and when confrontation did occur, it was awkward, and filled with painful pauses. Finally, Jack had had enough of the silence between them, and decided to do something about it. As soon as they docked. Maybe a bit after. Sometime, at least… He had to do it sometime before she got out of his reach…That was it. He was going to do something tonight, there was no doubt about it. He just now had the problem of deciding what exactly to do.

They made it to the harbor safely, but the Navy docked that night. The native Asians were bustling through the port and through the docks, and Helena could not be more excited. She was so close to finding Crispin…she knew it. She just knew it. She ran off the ship faster than the rest of the crew, Jack on her tail, to Susanna's shock.

Now, Helena had not spoken to Susanna for three days, and Susanna was starting to get antsy, what, with no 'women' aboard…she'd been just short of harassed by the men for the past few days. And it wasn't like Jack did anything about it, he was more concerned with other things. And especially this day, that they had reached Singapore, Jack had seemed especially distant.

Helena suddenly stopped dead in her tracks when she reached the Port streets, and Jack had to stop fast to keep from running into her.

"Helena?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. She said nothing, just turned her head this way and that, looking around. There was a vast assortment of people before her, of all races and colors, it seemed. The streets, even after dark, were teeming with life, and it was hard, even in the light, to tell one face from another. Jack stood behind Helena, surveying the sight before them.

"And we take in the sight that is Singapore." He said with a chuckle. Helena looked back at him as though she were just noticing him, and then looked away suddenly, and back to the mass of people, animals, and carts. It all looked rather primitive, the little shops, the small buildings…the lights twinkling in the distance from families' houses far above the port streets. It was a lot to digest.

"Crispin, where are you…?" Helena murmured to herself quietly. Jack didn't appear to hear her.

"Now, to finding this brother of yours…" Helena looked back at him again.

"Where…where do I start?" Jack raised a finger.

"Now what's this 'I' business? You're going to need my help, Ellie." She looked confused.

"You want to help me?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

Silence.

"Ah…our business last night."

More silence.

"Ellie, I don't understand why you-"

"Jack, you know damn well why I'm hesitant!"

"There's no need to get angry, Ellie."

"No! You don't get it! I just…I just…I'm sorry!" She cried, and a few of the passersby looked at her oddly, and then continued about their lives. Jack watched her for a moment, then grinned.

"Nothing to be sorry about, love. Now, let's get to finding this lost brother." He began strolling off, and called back to the confused Helena, "Best to follow me, love, or you might find yourself in a position you don't want to be in, savvy?" Helena, hearing this, scurried off after him quickly, following him through backstreet after backstreet, until they came to a small pub. The name was written above it in an Asian dialect, and Jack led her in slowly.

Once inside, Helena was fascinated. It looked much larger from the inside, with rafter showing, and men hanging from them by their arms, and their legs, and even sitting on them, or swinging from the chandeliers, and other men on the floor, chasing the barmaids and serving girls, or throwing bottles at one another…it was utter chaos, and Helena could not have been laughing harder. Jack raised an eyebrow at her, but she didn't see, too busy was she taking in the scene.

"Like it, do you?" A rum bottle suddenly came flying past, and Jack caught it before it hit the wall, uncorking it, and looking inside of it carefully. Helena looked up at him, her laughter dying down to a chuckle.

"Seems like your kind of place, Captain Sparrow." He took a drink of the rum, and grinned.

"Precisely." He said, looking around. "Now, what are the appearances of this brother you're talking about?" Helena smiled, thinking about Crispin.

"Well…He's always been taller than I, and is very thin. He has dark brown hair, and kind green eyes…he always had such a sweet face…" She looked so happy, thinking about her brother. Jack just watched her, amazed. He truly could not remember looking that happy the last time he thought of his family. Helena returned back to reality moments later when a man and a younger girl shoved their way past her. She looked a bit disgruntled, but quickly recovered, and looked over at Jack. "So?" Jack thought about this for a moment.

"Well. This is a good place to start…I've not known a pirate who didn't head straight for the bar when he made land…" Helena frowned.

"My brother is not a pirate." It was Jack's turn to frown.

"He sailed to Singapore, supposedly, on his own. I know of few merchant sailors who would dock in a port such as Singapore. Helena looked shocked.

"My brother is a good, reputable man! He would never sail under a pirate's flag!" She exclaimed. Jack put a hand on her shoulder.

"When we find him, you can ask him yourself." Helena narrowed her eyes, but followed him as he made his way through the tavern. Jack walked straight to the bar, and ordered two mugs of rum for himself and Helena, who looked a bit annoyed.

"Why are we getting drinks?" She hissed. "We should be looking for my brother!" She growled as Jack paid for the rum, and moved them to a table towards the back of the room, out of the way of the fights. She took a small drink of her rum, and then glared at Jack.

"As nice as this was for you to buy me rum, WE NEED TO LOOK FOR MY BROTHER. You know, my brother, the reason I came here IN THE FIRST PLACE." Helena frowned, and Jack took a long drink of rum.

"I understand that, dearie." He replied calmly. "But this is as good a place as any place to start." Helena looked reluctant, but nodded, sighing in resignation.

"I suppose you're right…"

They must have waited for what seemed like hours, and had gone through at least three mugs of rum apiece. No sign of Crispin. Helena was dozing off, her back to the bar, and Jack was close to nodding off himself when something, or, rather, someone, caught his eye. He peered over his mug at the bar where a younger man stood, his hair short, and dark brown. From here, he could not see the man's eye color, but he could see that he was tall, and lean.

"Ellie." He murmured, trying to rouse Helena. He put a hand on her shoulder and shook her gently. "Ellie!"

"Wha-what?" Helena asked groggily, her eyes half-lidded.

"I think your brother is here." She woke up almost instantly.

"Where!" She sat up straight, looking around, and Jack had to stifle a laugh.

"I believe he's at the bar, love." Helena scanned the bar until she saw who he meant. She squinted, trying to make out his facial features, and suddenly her eyes widened.

"Cr-Crispin…." She stood, as if in a trance, and made her way to him. Jack watched her, and followed, abandoning the empty flagons, and the little table.

Crispin Craven was sitting at the bar, waiting for his drink. He'd only taken a few sips, when he saw Helena. His eyes widened, and his the first thing he noticed was that she was wearing some of his old clothes.

"H-Helena?" He called to her, and she suddenly ran to him, her hat that she had been wearing falling off, a few strands of hair falling out of it, around her ponytail.

"Crispin!" She cried, and a few of the men and women around them stopped whatever they were doing, and watched Crispin hold Helena close as she hugged him tightly. He led her, and Jack as well, who was following Helena, outside and into the quiet back road. There they stood face to face for a moment, and suddenly, just as Jack was walking out the door, Helena uttered a cry, and flew into Crispin's arms again, the two laughing, and Helena crying happy tears.

"Helena! Helena, my dear sister!" Jack leaned against the outside wall of the tavern, watching.

"Crispin! Oh Crispin, I missed you so much!" She noticed everything about this moment. Crispin wore a dark brown coat with gold trim, black boots, a baggy white shirt, and a grey vest. He had a black belt draped across his chest, and a sword hung from it. He held her away from him for a moment. "Crispin...I…we…mother, father, and I…we thought…we thought you were…" She buried her face in his chest again, crying. "I'm so glad you're safe…" Crispin smiled at her, smoothing down her hair.

"I think there's much for us to talk about, my dear Helena." She looked up at him, and then her eyes found Jack.

"Crispin! You need to meet Jack." She said, pulling from him, and moving to stand next to Jack. Crispin's brow went up.

" 'Jack'? Jack Sparrow?" Jack raised a finger.

"Captain. _Captain_ Jack Sparrow." Helena looked confused.

"You know Jack?"

"More like I know _of_ Jack." Crispin replied with a chuckle. Jack grinned.

"Word travels fast in the world of pirates." Crispin laughed, nodding.

"It does, my friend." Helena looked shocked.

"Pirates! Crispin, please tell me you've not put in with their lot…" Jack looked offended.

"Helena…." Crispin started, but thought better of it. "We need to go someplace where we can talk." Jack nodded.

"Let's head to the Selkie." He suggested, and Helena nodded.

"Yes…we need to speak of many things, it seems." She said, sighing. Crispin, too, nodded.

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Chapter number seven! I'm so excited! I'd love to hear from all of you, out there, so...write me! I'm getting more and more things up on my Deviantart account, so check it out. I'm Myoubichan. :)


	8. Pirates

They were in the Captain's Quarters, with a shocked Susanna listening outside the doors. She had not expected them to find Crispin this quickly…or really, at all, for that matter. She was now eavesdropping on them, to see what was going on. The crew, or, those who were still on the ship, and not in a tavern somewhere, had regarded Crispin with odd looks; he had the same eyes as their 'Crispin'. Back in the Captain's Quarters, after a long time of storytelling, Crispin ranted at Helena for being reckless.  
"How could you be so FOOLISH?!" He cried. "You should NEVER have done what you did!" It was now that he noticed her hair. His eyes widened, and he took her short ponytail in his hand. "What…what did you do?!" He whispered hoarsely. "Your hair! You loved your hair!" It was Jack's turn to look at her oddly.  
"What's wrong with her hair?" He looked to Crispin, raising an eyebrow. Crispin looked at him in annoyance.  
"She had some of the prettiest hair I'd seen, and that was at sixteen! Her hair must've been at least to her waist by this year!" Helena nodded ashamedly.  
"It…it was…" She admitted. Crispin narrowed his eyes.  
"Why would you be so reckless?!" Helena was close to tears.  
"Because I wanted to see you again!" She cried, a tear falling down her cheek. Jack put a hand on her shoulder, giving her a reassuring look, which was a bit out of the ordinary for him-being so serious. Helena just stared at Crispin, who was pacing.  
"Helena…" He stopped, and embraced her. "Helena, I'm so glad that I can see you again, but do you know how much danger you could have been in? You and Susanna! She should have known better, at least…" Helena looked sullen, hearing Susanna mentioned. Susanna, outside, gave a triumphant smirk. But Crispin went on. "But I have to say, you were brave. I know of few women who would take such a trip, just for their brother. I'm…I'm proud of you." Helena smiled, and Jack smirked, watching the brother and sister embrace. Susanna, outside, growled. Crispin should be disappointed with her! Scolding her! Anything but proud of her! But she kept listening. It was Jack's turn to speak.  
"I believe the crew have a right to know about this, dear siblings Craven." Helena and Crispin nodded, and then Helena looked up at Crispin.  
"But I have yet to hear how you got to Singapore, my dear brother." Crispin sighed.  
"I'm afraid you might not be too happy with my tale." He began, and then started to tell of his journey.

"It was about five or six years ago when I became a sailor, sailing on a merchant trader's ship. I was fairly pleased with myself for getting such a job, and it was good work. I was treated fairly, and I was compensated for my work. It was about a year and a half after that that a pirate captain and his crew raided our ship. I was taken onto their ship, and told that if I didn't join their crew, I would perish. Was it wrong of me to join them? I understood the risk, but I wanted to live, to see you and our parents again. So I sailed with them for about two years, until one night, when we landed in Tortuga, the captain took me aside, and told me that I could leave. He said that I'd been one of the finest mates he'd had on his ship, and he would be discouraged to lose me, but that I could make it on my own. All I'd have to do was find myself a crew." Helena looked him up and down. He did look like a pirate captain…  
"So you're a captain now?" She asked curiously. He nodded.  
"I am. I am captain of the 'Selkie's Ghost'." He replied. Helena sighed.  
"Crispin…I thought…I just…Crispin, what will mother and father say?" She asked, sadly. "And what if the navy captures you?" Crispin stopped his pacing, and looked over and smiled.  
"You know, there was a time when I actually thought about that. But Helena, I'm doing something I want to do! I'm free! I can do what I want, when I want to do it!" Helena thought back to her last few weeks on this ship; how she had felt a bit more liberated. She had been more free…she had felt more alive than she ever had before…more at home. She slowly, suddenly, came to a realization. Piracy was something one chose, in most cases. Like in her case. She had chosen piracy as a way to find her brother…piracy had led her to him, and to Jack. She may be a bit worse for wear after the journey, but in the long run, it had been worth it. She smiled at Crispin, suddenly, and while getting up, said:  
"I think I understand what you mean, my dear brother. I think I do." Crispin and Jack exchanged odd looks, and arched brows. Helena just smiled. "Piracy, while an offbeat choice, can sometimes be the answer. I think these past few weeks have taught me that." She cast a glance at Jack, and smiled again. "I… I do like this life. I think I've felt more complete, here, on this ship, than I ever did in any house." Jack smirked triumphantly. Crispin grinned.  
"While I usually would never approve of this, I think, that, given the situation, you'll be in good hands." It was his turn to look at Jack, who looked pleased with himself. Crispin took a bow, then.  
"Truly, sister, you have changed for the better." He smiled, looking up from his bow. "I take my leave of you now, and Helena, you are welcome on my ship at any time." He proceeded to give her directions to the dock he was anchored at, and then, when Helena shook her head, he gave another bow, and exited.

I may not be able to continue for a while(mind you, I have a good mind to continue, regardless...) mainly because my laptop, with all of my documents on it, as well as the draft for my new chapter, is currently down, and I need a new power supply for it. So...if anyone has any idea of where I can get a cheap one, please tell me. I'd like to get my laptop back online.

--Your authoress, Solace


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